NDLEA Intercepts N1.1bn Codeine Syrup
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has successfully intercepted 338,200 bottles of codeine-based syrup, with a street value exceeding N1.1 billion, in two containers that had been closely monitored by the agency based on intelligence.
The illegal shipment was discovered during a joint examination of the containers by NDLEA operatives, Customs, and other security agencies on Thursday, January 10, 2025, at the Port Harcourt Ports Complex in Onne, Rivers State.
Additionally, based on further intelligence, the NDLEA intercepted a 40-foot trailer load of skunk, a variant of cannabis, weighing a total of 2,217.6 kilograms. The illicit consignment was being distributed into six vehicles at an abandoned fuel station in Kagini, Kubwa, in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, for onward transportation to northern states.
NDLEA spokesperson Femi Babafemi confirmed the operation, which took place in the early hours of Saturday, January 11, 2025. During the operation, not only was the large shipment seized, but six vehicles – including a Toyota Van, Toyota Camry, Toyota Sienna bus, JAC 4-wheel-drive Hilux truck, Toyota Corolla, and a Vento Passat – were confiscated, and a suspect, 42-year-old Isaac Monday Desmond, was arrested.
Further investigations revealed that the skunk consignment had been loaded onto the trailer at Uzebba, in Owan Local Government Area of Edo State.
In another operation in the FCT, two suspects, 42-year-old Anthony Nnamdi and 27-year-old Abba Ali, were arrested in Nyanya, where 1.398kg of cocaine, along with a precursor substance used to prepare crack cocaine, was recovered.
Meanwhile, NDLEA officers in Lagos seized 20 wraps of cocaine weighing 330 grams, hidden inside face cream containers, from a cargo bound for Australia at a logistics firm.
Additionally, Bariu Aliu, the traditional chief priest of the Igunuko shrine in Alpha Beach, Ajah Lekki, where 2,760kg of skunk was recovered in October 2024, was arrested after a manhunt lasting over three months. Aliu, known as Malo, is believed to be the leader of the syndicate responsible for the drug operations.
Babafemi emphasized that two of Aliu’s accomplices had already been arrested, charged, and convicted in court, marking a significant development in the fight against drug trafficking in the region.
